CHI 



r. that of strength, denotes weakness t the character of 

 * ma* written three times signifies a multitude ; or it they 

 are placed in a line behind each other, it denotes the ac- 

 tion of /b//<Mw* ; and the character of herbs and 



J with that of tfild, expresses a swamp or 

 mirehy soil. 



3. H>cy ye, i. e. combination nj 'the object or idea, in- 

 clude* tho*e character*, w'nch convey a *ense, hearing 

 no immediate relation to the separate significations of 

 the signs of which they are composed, but which may 

 he found to possess a kind of distant analogy with the 

 ideas expressed. Thus the character* of wuuth and dug, 

 signifying to lark; those of a door and mouth, to ask a 

 1*eston; those of arfoorandear, to hrar ; those of afoot 

 and lose, to Jail; those of man within an inclosure, a 

 prisoner. 



4. Kiai-in, i. e. explanation by the sound, includes 

 those characters, which are composed of the character of 

 genus with another character, which, by its sound or 

 some other peculiarity, or by mere arbitrary appoint- 

 ment, designates a species of that genus ; and which 

 thus constitute a classification of objects in natural his- 

 tory, article* of household furniture, &c. Thus the 

 character of fish with another sounding .f', denotes a 

 carp ; that of bird with another sounding go, signifies a 

 goose ; that of a tree with another sounding pe, signi- 

 fies a eypress i or with one sounding lloo, signifies a 

 sfflbsv. 



5. Kia-tsic, i. e. idea borron-cd or metaphorical, in- 

 cludes those characters, which, besides the simple signi- 

 fication of the character itself, have also another mean- 

 ing of a figurative nature. Thus the character of a 

 tamer signifies literally a building of that name, and also 

 immobility; that of sun and moon united denotes lite- 

 rally briuiancy or splendor in a physical sense, and also 

 noble or illustrious in a moral import ; speech and a 

 mountain denote boasting ; the wife of a magistrate im- 

 plies faither an accomplished lady; a mild boar both 

 signifies the animal so called, and also figuratively 

 courage. This class is exceedingly numerous, and may 

 indeed be said to comprehend the whole characters of 

 the language, which are all occasionally used in a figu- 

 rative sense. This application of simple characters in a 

 metaphorical import, is the great source of the obscurity 

 which necessarily pervades Chinese compositions, as the 

 figurative meaning frequently bears no conceivable ana- 

 logy to the primitive sense, or at least one extremely 

 remote. 



6. Tchuan tchoo, i. e. extension, developement, in- 

 dudes those characters, in which the obvious or tigura- 

 tive signification is varied either partially or wholly by 

 another character placed above or below, on the right 



.r the left ; but, whether any regular principle is ob- 

 served in this alteration or extension of the meaning by 

 juita position, does not appear. Thus the character of 

 mountain alone signifies a single mountain ; two of them 

 in a line, a range of mountains ; and these two surround- 

 ed by a third, an eleiated mountain ; a heart placed 

 above a slave signifies anger ; an ear at the side of a In-art 

 denotes modesty or shajtte ; a man walking and a iforJ, 

 vain promises. 



of To trace the meaning and composition of the differ- 

 ent characters is described as a very entertain. ng ana- 

 lysis and ingenious exercise j a* affording also the most 

 curious example* of the operation* of the mind in dif- 

 ferent n-.tiotit and agtt, in combining and associating 

 ideas. The greater part indeed cannot be traced to the 

 eircumitancci and notion* which gave the'': birth ; but 

 u.ii moit probable, that, in many instances, this difii- 



N.A. 



culty arises from a want of acquaintance with the his- 

 tory, customs manners, sentiments, and tradition , ot - , * ' 

 the Chinese nation, to which it i< evident that n\imbera 

 of these combinations have a direct reference. Thus 

 the Emperor Yao and a word signifies rel>: 

 eourne ; the same person with the un denotes ein. 

 knmeleilgr ; and with provisions conveys the idea of 

 nourishing the pcop'.e ; all these significations evidently 

 alluding to the character ascribed in history to that 

 prince. A bow and the ch?.ce express I he nations of 

 the north ; a man and a flock, those .'. Wine 



and a seal express marriage, because it was the custom 

 for the bridegroom to present wine to the bride, v 

 was thus the seal .>f their union. A garment and a 

 halbert signify a f/torl coat, because soldiers usually wore 

 short clothes ; old and word instructive conversation, be- 

 cause wisdom is supposed, especially in China, to be the 

 character of the aged. Woman and sickness express 

 death, because when the sovereign was sick and given 

 up by the physicians, he was left in the hands of the 

 women. A concubine, or second wife, is signified by 

 gift and Hjiriiflit, because the must stand up, and is not 

 allowed to sit in the presence of her husband. The ifl- 

 tcrcalary moon, or mor.th which returns at certain inter- 

 vals to make the lunar agree with the solar year, is re- 

 presented by the character king in the middle of a door 

 or gateway ; because it was anciently the custom, at 

 the return cf the intercalary month, for the sovereign to 

 stand in the gate of the temple when making his obla- 

 tions, instead of performing the ceremonies, as on other 

 occasions, within the temple. To govern is compound- 

 ed of bamboo and a clapping noise, which sufficiently in- 

 dicate the great instrument of Chinese administration, 

 the stroke of the bamboo ; and the character signifying 

 foreigner is composed of great and bow, perhaps be- 

 cause the first strangers, who entered the country, car- 

 ried longer bows than those of the natives. 



The Chinese characters- are not addressed solely to the Sound o, 

 eye, but are all capable of being named so as to be in prommcii- 

 some measure intelligible by the ear. But it cannot be lio " of the 

 said, properly speaking, that each character has a dis- harac'crs . 

 tinct name or sound. These sounds are very few in num. 

 ber, between 300 and 400 only ; and, hence, many cha- 

 racters, essentially distinct in their appearance, have the 

 same. name. Even these names, also, are not composed 

 of the names of the component parts of the character ; 

 but, however numerous these may be, its own name is 

 always a monosyllable, which generally bears no resem- 

 blance to the sounds of its constituents. Thus the cha- 

 racter expressing happiness, is composed of four charac- 

 ters, viz. sficc a daemon, ye one, koo a mouth, and tien a 

 piece of cultivated ground ; but the word or character 

 happiness itself, has the simple monosyllabic name or 

 sound of /bo. Hence it is, that the written Chinese charac- 

 ters.like the notes which compose a piece of music, may be 

 intelligible to different nations, whose Sjjok< n language 

 is different, that is, who give different names to the visi- 

 ble words or characters. This il actually the case in 

 Japan, Tonquin, and Cochin-china, where different lan- 

 guages are spoken, but where the same written charac- 

 ter, namely that of the Chinese, is used. Indeed it ii 

 said that such is .the case, even in the empire of China ; 

 and that scarcely any two of its provinces pronounce the 

 characters in the same way, or, in other words, have tha 

 same oral language. 



For the purpose of regulating the pronunciation, ot Chiiu 

 names of the characters, the Chinese have a c.:"i 'fch;t pi. -'I"'," 

 racters set apart a marks of bou:id, wl.,ch m.iy be calleo 

 their alphabet ; but. when, or by whom, these were in- 



